gut microbiota

Therapeutics Come Alive: An Interview with PharmaBiome

Posted on by Nour Mozaffari

The next generation of medicine may not come in a pill or vial — but in a living community of microbes. Scientists at Pharmabiome, a Zurich-based biotechnology company, are leveraging their expertise in microbiome research to create truly “living” therapies.

More Than a Gut Feeling

All around us – and inside –exists an entire universe of microscopic organisms commonly referred to as the microbiome. In fact, our body contains more microbes than human cells, working hand in hand to maintain normal physiology. The most heavily colonized part of our body is our gastrointestinal (GI) tract – our gut – housing thousands of different bacteria, viruses and fungi. Collectively termed ‘gut microbiota’, this complex network of microorganisms helps us digest nutrients, produces essential metabolites, protects us against pathogens, and more.

The diverse species in our GI tract co-exist in a dynamic equilibrium, each fulfilling a defined set of functions and interacting with other species through cross-feeding mechanisms that, together, promote gut health. When this delicate balance is perturbed, be it through dietary changes, antibiotic treatments, or other factors, the effect ripples across the body. Increasing evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis actively contributes to pathological conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and obesity to neurological and autoimmune disorders. The good news is, as our understanding of gut ecology evolves, so does the potential to harness and reshape the microbiome to improve health.

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For Frogs, Surviving the Heat Could Come Down to What Is in Their Gut

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class worldwide. Because they lack the ability to regulate their own temperature and moisture levels, climate change is playing a significant role in this growing peril (1). Climate change impacts amphibian survival in several ways. In addition to habitat loss, growing drought conditions make maintaining body moisture levels challenging and warming temperatures restrict activity periods needed for reproduction as well as increasing the risk of heat stress.

Heat tolerance varies by species, and understanding what influences these differences could help predict species survival. The gut microbiota is known to affect a wide range of functions in host animals, and recently studies have begun to investigate its role in host thermal tolerance (2).

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Go with Your Gut: Understanding How the Microbiome and Diet Influence Health

Posted on by Mariel Mohns
microbiome_mouse_model

Over the past decade, microbiome research has provided key insights into the relationship between our gut and our health. There are trillions of organisms in our gut, comprising the microbiome that complements our human biology, distinct from our genome. These gut microbes affect us in many ways, from affecting our mental health to our ability to fight cancer.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Federico Rey and his research group are trying to understand how our diet might help or harm the important microbial communities in our gut. “If we can understand how microbes interact with diet, we can personalize nutrition to match diet with the composition of the gut microbiome and promote health,” Rey says.

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How Gut Microbes Affect Our Brain

Posted on by Johanna Lee
coliform bacteria

Think about the last time you gave a presentation. The feeling of having “butterflies in your stomach”. Or when you meet someone for the first time, that “gut feeling” of whether you two will get along. In our day-to-day lives, we often associate what happens in the gut with what goes on in our brain. In fact, scientific evidence suggests that our gut and our brain frequently communicate—through gut microbes. Apparently, the existence of trillions of bacteria and eukaryotes in our gut is not only crucial for our physical health, they may also be important for our mental health.

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